Folding chair with folding and locking kneeler



March 29, 1960 R. s. GELLER 2,930,431

FOLDING CHAIR WITH FOLDING AND LOCKING KNEELER Filed Oct. 22, 1957 Him I10 MM?! H m "'IIH I ,l I y INVENTOR.

' QM m m:\ W wmW' ATTORNEYS FOLDING CHAIR WITH FOLDING AND LOCKINGKNEELER Roscoe G. Geller, Owego, N.Y., assignor to Stakmore Co., Inc.,Owego, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application October 22, 1957,Serial No. 691,626

6 Claims. (Cl. 155-166)- This invention relates to folding. benches orplatforms and more particularly to folding kneeling benches adaptablefor use in connection with folding chairs or other collapsiblefurniture.

Collapsible furniture such as folding chairs are wellknown and their usein connection with temporary social, fraternal or religiously organizedmeetings is common. Thus, for example, the use of the folding chair toprovide temporary, easily storable seating facilities in religiousobservances where more permanent arrangements are not feasible has longbeen known. In many such religious observances, in addition to thetemporary seating facilities, a kneeling bench is also a requiredparticular in the proper conduct of the service.

Heretofore, such kneeling benches have been provided separately or havebeen attached to the folding chairs by cumbersome, unsatisfactory means.Further, known kneeling benches, when actually attached to the foldingchair by folding means, have not been compact, and have tended to unfoldduring handling of the chairs for storage.

. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to accomplish thefolding of an auxiliary bench or kneeler used in connection with foldingchairs or other collapsible furniture in a new and novel manner; and tofold the parts in such relation that they lock in folded position andcan be unlocked only by exerting a pull on a particular part of thefolded assembly.

It is another object of this invention to provide a platform or kneelerwith a self-locking folding linkage for use in connecting it with afolding chair.

A further object of this invention is the new and novel vertical andcompact storage of the kneeler against the chair.

tA still further and more general object of this invention is a new andnovel supporting apparatus capable of supporting vertical loads andbeing readily storable in a minimal space against a vertical surface,which surface also constitutes part of the supporting apparatus.

The foregoing and other objects are realized in one illustrativeembodiment of this invention in which a pair of transverse ribs supportahorizontal platform, the surface of which is suitable for kneeling,sitting, or other purposes. Each of the transverse ribs has pivotallyaffixed thereto a vertical upright,'and these uprights provide the mainvertical support for the horizontal p1atform. Extending portions of thetransverse ribs each have pivotally related therewith a pair of linkingmembers, which members are also pivotally connected to folding chairuprights or other vertical surfaces with which the horizontal platformis to be utilized. Each of the vertical uprights operatively associatedWith the transverse ribs also has a linking member pivotally con-"nected thereto and also pivotally connected with one of "According toone aspect of this invention, it is a fea-' ice.

ture that the transverse ribs and the linking members associatedtherewith move in a particular relationship with each other during thefolding operation and interact to move the various parts automaticallyinto the desired positions. -Thus, the angular movement of each of theoperative elements is dependent upon the angular movement of each of theothers.

It is another feature oft/his invention that the length of each of thelinking members and the distance between pivots is so selected that thecenter of gravity of the system tends to urge the platform or kneeleragainst the folding chair uprights or other vertical surface when in itsfolded position.

The foregoing and other'objects and features of this invention will beclearly understood from a consideration of the following detaileddescription thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the invention shown in Figure l but withthe kneeler and linkage partly folded; Figure 3 is a side elevation ofthe invention with the chair, kneeler and linkage all 'shown as in theirfolded positions; and Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the invention withthe parts folded as in Figure 3. t

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawing, the illustrative embodiment ofthis invention is shown associated with a folding chair 10. The chair 10may be of any of the well-known types of folding chairs in common use.Although the invention is shown as associated with a folding chair andwill de described in such a combination, it is to be understood that theuse of this invention is not so limited and it is adaptable for use withany other vertical upright or surface. The components and theirinter-connecting pivot points in the illustrative embodiment areidentified by numerals and letters, respectively, in the accompanyingdrawings.

In Figure 1, a transverse rib 2 is shown disposed in a substantiallyhorizontal normal operative position and secondarily supported at apredetermined distance from one end thereof by pivotal connection 0 toone end of a vertical upright member 3. transverse rib 2 is supplied bya chair back member or leg 9 through links or linking members 1 and 5.Linking member 1 is pivotally connected at one end thereof to the chairleg 9 at point a and is pivotally connected at the other end thereof tothe other end of the transverse rib 2 at point b. Linking member 5 ispivotally connected at one end thereof to the chair leg 9 at point 7 andis pivotally connected at a predetermined distance The vertical uprightmember 3, operatively associated with the transverse rib 2, also has alinking connection to the linking member 5 through a linking member 4.This linking member 4 is pivotally connected at one end to the uprightmember v3 at point d a predetermined distance from one end of theupright member 3; and linking member 4 is pivotally connected at itsother end to the other end of linking member 5 at point e. Platform 6 isshown, in Figure 1, disposed on the transverse rib'2 in a substantiallyhorizontal position. However, it is to be understood that'the platform 6may be arranged to assume a horizontal position at any point along itsopera tive cycle, as will be described with reference to Figure 2,;

if the application of this invention so requires.

The primary support for It is also to be understood that a similar setof component linking members 1 through and inter-connecting pivot pointsa to g is located at each end of the platform or kneeler 6, and isassociated with the chair 10, as shown in Figure 4.. In thisillustrative embodiment, members 1 through 5 may be of wood, metal orother suitable construction; and with the relative thickness of themembers as shown in Figure 4, it is preferred that linking members 1, 4and 5 be of a fiat, thin metal and that transverse rib 2' and upright 3,which act as support members, he of wooden construction and relativelythick in cross-section.

From the description thus far it will be apparent that the linkageincludes two four-bar linkages with two of the links of one systemformed by extensions of two links of the other system. In analyzing thelinkages they must be referred to, in accordance with mechanismterminology, by their opposite pivots because some of the actualstructural elements have different parts of their length formingdifferent links in the different systems.

The front four-bar linkage includes a fixed link af which is the portionof the chair leg 9 between the pivots a and f. An upper link fg swingsabout the fixed pivot f. The free end of the link fg is connected withthe pivot a by a jointed arm comprising a forward link ab and a rearwardlink bg.

This jointed arm, which will be referred to, in analyzing the linkagesystems, as the arm abg has its joint flexed upwardly when the linkageis in its extended position, as shown in Figure l. The joint of this armabg is flexed downwardly when the linkage is folded, as shown in Figure3.

In order to have the linkage fold in the intended manner and lockclosed, the combined lengths of the links af and ab must besubstantially equal to the combined lengths of the links fg-and bg; andthe loading on the pivots b and g, as the mechanism approaches foldedcondition, must be such as to urge both of the links fg and ab to swingclockwise about their fixed pivots f and a. In the constructionillustrated, all of the links of the front linkage are of differentlength.

The rear four-bar linkage includes a link cg which is actually therearward part of the rib 2 and which is, therefore, an extension of thelink bg of the front linkage. A link eg of the rear linkage is anextension of the link fg of the front linkage. The other two links ofthe rear linkage are the links cd and de.

In this rear linkage it is necessary that the combined lengths of thelinks cg and eg be substantially equal to the combined length of thelinks cd and de; otherwise the flat and compact folding of Figure 3cannot be obtained.

Because of the fact that two of the links of one linkage are extensionsof two links of the other system, one

angle of each linkage must have a fixed relation to one angle of theother linkage for all positions of the mechanism. When the extensions ofthe links are straight, as is the case in the construction illustrated,the related angles of the two different linkages must be equal at alltimes. For example, the angle fgb of the front linkage is always equalto the angle cge of the rear linkage.

If the pivots f, g and e are not in a straight line, or the pivots b, gand c are not in a straight line, then the angle fgb may not be equal tothe angle cge; but with links of one system rigid extensions of links ofthe other system, these related angles must maintain a definiterelationship. In this way the folding or unfolding of one linkagecontrols the folding and unfolding of the other.

The chair 10 is shown folded in Figure 3 in order to emphasize what acompact unit can be obtained with this invention, but it, will beunderstood that the folding of the kneeler is completely independent ofthe folding of the chair; and the folding kneeler of this invention canbe used equally well with chairs that do not fold.

The linkages shown in Figures 1-3, and which have been described, arefor one side of the chair. Similar linkages are connected to the chairleg 9 and to the plat.-

form or kneeler 6 at the other side of the chair. The fixed relation ofthe chair legs to one another, and the rigid connection of the kneeler 6to the ribs 2 at both sides of the chair, causes the linkages on bothsides of the chair to work together.

In the construction illustrated, the linkages on both sides of the chairare also connected by a cross brace 12 between the ribs 2 immediatelyunder the platform 6', and by another cross brace 13 rigidly connectedat opposite ends to the upright members 3.

The kneeler is.most conveniently folded by placingthe toe of theoperators shoe under the platform 6 and lifting the foot to raise theparts somewhat beyond the positions shown in Figure 2. The foot is thenpressed forward against the-cross brace 13 to move the upright or legmembers 3 in fiat against the bottom of the platform 6.

During this folding movement the pivot d moves forwardly across a centerline which extends from pivot c to pivot e. Expressing this'movement inanother way, it may be said that the toggle ca'e, formed by links cd andde, moves through its straight position and flexes slightly toward thefront, i.e., toward the chair legs 9, when the linkages are folded.

This movement of the pivot d past center is important because it locksthe linkage in folded condition. Any force against the kneeler platform6 toward the rear in Figure 3; or any pull by gravity when the chair istilted rearwardly or is moved toward a horizontal position with thekneeler lowermost, during stacking or shipping, cannot unlock the foldedlinkage. This results from the fact that force against the kneelerplatform to unfold thelinkage tends to flex the toggle cde furthertoward the front and such movement of the toggle is impossible becausethe link cd is already up against the underside of the platform andcannot move forward any further.

When the locked kneeler linkages are to be unfolded, the force to unlockthe linkages must be applied to the upright or leg members 3 in such away as to pull the pivot (I back past the center line between pivots cand e so that the toggle cde flexes to the rear as shown in Figures land 2. This is most conveniently done by putting the toe of theoperators shoe under the cross brace 13 and pulling this cross bracerearwardly.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown in thedrawings and described in the foregoing specification, it will beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodimentsbut is capable of modification, substitution and rearrangement of partsand elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination comprising a chair having back legs, folding linkagesconnected with each of the chair legs, each of said linkages includingan upper link, a first pivot connection joining the chair leg to theupper link, a jointed arm comprising front and rear links with theirconnecting joint folded downwardly when the linkages are folded, asecond pivot connection joining one end of the jointed arm to the chairleg at a distance below the first pivot connection, another pivotconnection joining the other end of the jointed arm to the upper link,the links of the jointed arms forming with the upper link and theportion of the leg between the first and second pivot connections afirst four-bar linkage, a kneeling platform,

a second four-bar linkage connecting the kneeling platform to the firstfour-bar linkage, two of the links of the second four-bar linkage beingextensions of two of the links of the first four-bar linkage, and thekneeling platform being substantially horizontal when the linkages arein an unfolded condition.

2. The combination described in claim 1 and in which the combined lengthof the front link and the space be: tween the first and secondpivotconnections is substantially equal to the combined length of the upperlink and the rear link of the jointed arm.

3. The combination described in claim 1 and in which the second four-barlinkage has top and bottom forward links and top and bottom rearwardlinks, the top and bottom forward links being extensions of links of thefirst four-bar linkage.

4. The combination described in claim the top forward link of the secondfour-bar linkage is an extension of the rearward link of the jointed armand the bottom forward link of the second four-bar linkage is anextension of the upper link of the first four-bar linkage.

5. The combination described in claim 3 and in which the combined lengthof the top and bottom forward links of the second four-bar linkage issubstantially equal to the combined length of the top and bottomrearward links of said second four-bar linkage.

6. The combination comprising a chair having rearward legs, a kneelerassembly including a kneeler platform and links connecting the platformto the rearward legs of the chair, the links being movable to shift thei5 and in which platform from a substantially horizontal position. to afolded and upwardly-tilted position adjacent to the rearward legs of thechair, said links including a four-bar linkage with opposite bars thatare of unequal length, and

said links including two links pivotally connected to form a togglewhich flexes rearwardly when the kneeler is in its substantiallyhorizontal positon, and which passes through a straight condition to aposition where the toggle flexes toward the front and in a positionwhere rearward force on the platform urges the toggle to flex furtherforward, at least one of the links of the toggle being against a stopwhen the assembly is folded to prevent further forward flexing of thetoggle and thus maintain the kneeler assembly locked in foldedcondition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,548,098 Clarin Apr. 10, 1951 20 2,804,122 Baum Aug. 27, 1957 2,843,189Lockshin' July 15, 1958

